Store front



Sept. 22, 1925.

H. D. SMITH STORE FRONT Filed- Dec. 26. 1924 2 Shasta-Shoot 1 Sept. 22-, 1925. 1,554,238

' H. D. SMITH STORE FRONT Fild D. 26, 1924 2 Shoots-Sho n 2 L /7 0WU/"O 5/77/77? NTOK ago? Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES HOWARD 1). SMITH, F COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NISLEY COMPANY, COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

STORE FRONT.

Application med December 26, 1924. Serial No. 758,266.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing as Columbus, in the county of Frank lin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Store Front, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a store front and is particularly concerned with the provision of an ornamental, unique and useful device for attracting the attention of persons by employing a novel arrangement of reflecting surfaces over abuilding entrance, which are adapted to reflect light or the images of persons or objects on the street adjacent the building entrance to a remote point or to the opposite side of the street, where, by reason of each reflecting surface or mirror individually reflecting the images in converging paths, the illusive appearance of a large number of objects or persons will be created.

The effectiveness of attention attracting devices for advertising and similar purposes is well recognized, and a'great variety of devices have been used or intended for this purpose. Prior devices, however, have usually depended upon ornamented display windows and the like to effect this object and have required much labor, expense and time to maintain their attractiveness. The novelty of such devices is recognized as an important element in their effectiveness.

Ihave aimed at providing a device for the purpose described, which consists generally in providing a plurality of reflecting surfaces or mirrors over or adjacent the building entrance which are arnnged to reflect light or the images of persons or objects adjacent the building entrance to a remote point or to the remote side of the street in converging paths which will focus to pro duce the illusion of a large number of people when in fact there may beonly a few.

Another and further important element in the novelty of this invention consists in the kaleidosoopic, multi-color or light effects obtained or produced when a. series of differently colored objects pass in succession before the mirrors. This feature is adapted to secure and hold the attention of the observer by the fascinating color orflight effects pro duced as objects or persons or lights pass in front of the mirrors, but this will not interof the street by a multiple reflection of the images of persons or objects or light on the side of the street adjacent the building. The reflecting surfaces are arranged and intended to reflect the same number of images as there are reflecting surfaces over the building entrance, so that to an observer at a distance or 011 the opposite side of the street, one person or object will appear as several. Furthermore, in the event of one or a few persons entering the building, it will appear to an observer on the opposite side of the street or at a distance, that a great many persons are entering the store, and will thus arouse curiosity and attention.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a device for the purpose described which willv be effective to that end, attractive in appearance, simple in construc tion, and require little or no labor or expense to retain the novelty and attractiveness of the same. i

A still further object of this invention consists in providing a store or building front of any desired construction with my novel device incorporated as an integral part of the same to form a unitary, eflicient, but at the same time removable addition to the design of the building.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of a device for the purpose indicated which can readily be adapted to different requirements, and is flexible enough in principle to permit of many and varied adaptations of the same.

Various other objects of my invention will be apparent as this description progresses and will be brought out in the claims appended hereto. One embodiment of my in vention is illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts and wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my novel device as applied to a store or building entrance:

Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal vertical section through the center of the store or building entrance, shown in Figure 1, sliowing my novel arrangementof reflecting. surfaces or mirrors over the entrance. The patlr of the incident and reflected light is also represented in this drawing. by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan! view of the mirror arrangement, which clearly shows the converging path of the light asret-lecte-d to a remote point onto the opposite side of the street by the mirrors over the building entrance The lines representing the path of. thelight are not completely shown, but are shown sufiiciently to make the purpose ofthe mirror arrangement easily understood.

In the drawings, with particular referenceto Figures 1 and 2', my novel building front is shown as comprising the inset store or building entranccl, on opposite sides and to the rear of which may be arranged the display windows 2 which are intended to display the merchants goods to persons passing along the adjacent sidewalk. The doors 3' are provided for entrance tothestore or building. It will be understood that thedesign or architectural construction of this store front forms no part of the present in.- vention and the design shown and described is not intended as a limitation of; use, but merely as illustrative of the applicationof my invention. It is also understood that the: store r building front to which my invention' isapplied may be varied tosuit available space, cost, and any number ofother contingencies which may arise; My invention may also be adapted to existing conditions and is not necessarily confined inits application to the arrangement shown, and various other modifications and adaptations of the same are obvious and will appear to persons skilled in the art.

Above: the store entrance and mounted upon the display windows 2, I have provided a plurality of mirrors or reflecting surfaces 4:, which may be arrange-d in the manner shown in Figure 1. or in any other manner to which the existing space, building design, etc. may be: better adapted. The mirrors or reflecting surfaces t may be" secured in their respective positions with any suitable means. such as the strips; 5 which are removable to permit replacement,- repair or other changes; These: mirrors: 4:- are arranged in a fan-like manner in general. or as about a: semi-frustro' conical surface. Because of the inclination of. these mirrors and the general: arcuate arrangement of the same, light or the image of an individual or object reflected by the mirrors will converge downwardly and come to a focus at a predetermined position, which is preferably at a point remote from the store or building entrance.

In Figure 3 I have shown, in a somewhat diagrammatic way' the eli'ect of this mirror arrangement in reflecting light or an image of an object or person adjacent the store entrance. Thislight or object or person is shown for convenience of illustration as at the point 6, and the rays of light are indicated by the dotted lines 7 as passing to and being reflected by the reflecting surfaces or mirrors 4t to a remote point. These mirrors are mounted so that. light or the image of any object, such as a passing or stationary person or object, in front of the store or building entrance, willbe' reflected in a converging downwardly inclined path and focus to aremotepoi-nt or to the opposite side of the street and there create the illusive appearance of acrowd of people. By my use of a plurality of mirrors ofreflecting surf-aces placed in angularpnoximity toone another, that is, with their reflecting surfaces disposed at a rightor acute angle to one another, the image ofone mirror becomes the object for the adjacent mirror and it in turn becomes the object for the other mirror and, thereforegto an observer; the image will be multiplied according to the number of successive reflections-,which depends upon the angle between the reflecting surfaces and the position of theobject.

In operation, light effects or tle images of persons or objects on the side of the street adjacent the building. entrance will: be individually reflected by each mirror to a remote point or to the opposite side of the street, where, to an attending. observer it will have the illusi-ve appearance or resemblance ofa crowd of people entering the building or passing along the sidewalk in front of the store. The path taken by the incident and reflected: light is shown by the arrows 7 in Figures- 2- and 3 from which it will be obvious that the reflecting surfaces or mirrors may be inclined at such an angle that the reflected light is inclined down-wardly so that the effect of the device will appear to the best. advantages on the side of the street remote from the store or building entrance;

In the installation of this device the same may be adapted to the existing conditions, and the foci and radii adjusted toinclination and convergence, so that the desired effect may be produced regardless of street width or other conditions. It will be understood that the particular features of this invention: may be varied. not. only to adapt the device to'di ffierent situations, but also to produce a variety of effects fordiiferent purposes. It might be desirable to provide con.-

cave or convex faced mirrors to distort or otherwise modify the reflected image. This construction might be desirable Where the device is employed over the entrance to a theater or amusement house. The mirrors might also be arranged along the vertical sides of the store front and the same result could be accomplished. The usefulness of this device might be enhanced by providing the name of the store or merchant on the mirror surfaces.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that I have provided a device of great advertising value, which is simple in construction, easily maintained, novel in appearance and function and adapted to perform in an eflicient manner the aforemen-- tioned and other objects which will appear to persons skilled in the art.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In a store or building front, a plurality of reflecting surfaces disposed adjacent the top thereof, said reflecting surfaces being so arranged as to produce a plurality of images of an object Within the focal range and to project said images to a point remote from said object.

2. A store front comprising an entrance and an arch, and reflecting surfaces carried by said arch, said reflecting surfaces being adapted to project a plurality of images of an object within the range of said surfaces to a point remote from said store front.

3. In a store front, a front display section, an entrance Way, and a plurality of reflecting surfaces arranged adjacent the top of said display section and said entrance Way, said reflecting surfaces being disposed to multiply and project a plurality of images of an object to a point remote from said front.

4. In a store or building front, an inclined reflecting surface divided into sections, each section having individual reflecting properties, for producing a plurality of reflections from a single source and projecting said reflections to a point remote from the said source.

5. In a store front, a front section having an entrance Way, and reflecting means arranged adjacent the top of said front section and entrance Way, said reflecting means being comprised of a plurality of inclined reflectors defining separate surfaces.

6. In a store front, a plurality of reflect-- ing surfaces disposed adjacent the top of said front in a fanlike manner, and adapted to reflect and project a plurality of images of an object Within the range of the said reflecting surfaces.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

HOWARD D. SMITH. 

